


adjustment

by setgo



Series: as seen on tv [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, Idiots in Inaba AU, Oneshot, Persona 5 Protagonist is from Inaba, Post-Canon, gratuitous persona 4 references, improper haunted house etiquette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-26 06:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21369526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/setgo/pseuds/setgo
Summary: Lavenza invites herself to the Yasogami Cultural Festival, tagging along to Akira and Shiho's chaos as they spread disaster throughout the festival. Through the midst of themed cafés, spread rumors, and destroyed school property, a heartfelt talk is held.
Relationships: Implied Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira & Lavenza, Kurusu Akira & Suzui Shiho, implied Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: as seen on tv [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774411
Comments: 26
Kudos: 200





	adjustment

**AKIRA**

A friend of mine wants to come to the Yasogami culture festival

Is that alright with you

**SHIHO**

you have friends i don’t know about?

my little akira

all grown up...

**AKIRA**

You are so mean to me.

**SHIHO**

so

about this friend

**AKIRA**

She's a supernatural attendant for a realm between realities

she is 12 and also maybe immortal

**SHIHO**

HUH?

is this phantom thief stuff

**AKIRA**

Not exactly

Kind of?

**SHIHO**

ah… i see now… everything is made clear……

**AKIRA**

Okay. It's _ related _ to all that.

but she wasn't a phantom thief

Lavenza helped me with my personas and fusions

**SHIHO**

kurusu this better be the best damn explanation i've ever heard

* * *

Shiho has no idea what she's supposed to expect from "supernatural attendant for a realm between realities," but somehow she's still caught off guard. Akira's standing next to a young girl with hair so pale it's almost white, who's dressed in a frilly blue dress that almost looks like it's glowing. (Wait, is it _ actually _glowing?)

Shiho, against her better judgement, points confusedly at Lavenza. "She..."

"So other people can actually see you now?" Akira seems surprised, but not for reason Shiho's expecting.

"Well of course I am!" Lavenza huffs, "How else am I supposed to participate in the Cultural Festival if I cannot even be perceived?!"

"Shiho, hey. This is Lavenza." Akira's still just standing there, like standing next to ethereal kids is a daily occurrence. (It probably is, to him.) "Lavenza, this is Suzui Shiho."

“Greetings," The blue girl gives a short curtsy, and it's at this moment Shiho realizes the girl has bright yellow eyes. They seem to stare straight through Shiho, "I am one who rules over power, an attendant of the Velvet Room."

“Lavenza…” Shiho tries to wrap her tongue around the foreign syllables and her mind around the utterly bizarre introduction.

Lavenza looks up to Akira, standing up to appear taller. "Now that our party's been assembled, we should be off?"

Akira nods and beckons the other two through the halls. Lavenza's eyes widen at the colorful assortment of decorations. 

"I have always wanted to see one of these “Cultural Festivals!"” With barely-contained excitement she follows after Akira, clapping her hands together excitedly with bright eyes, “My siblings have spoken quite fondly of them.”

Akira tilts his head to the side, “You have siblings?

Lavenza nods, “Indeed. I have two older sisters, Elizabeth and Margaret, and one older brother, Theodore. There is also Belladonna and Nameless.”

"Huh." Akira "I never saw them, though."

“They were trapped amongst the sea of souls for quite a while. My sister, Elizabeth, attempted to free Theodore and Margaret, as she was not in the room at the time, but..." Lavenza's eyes cast sadly to the floor.

"What are they like?" Shiho asks.

Lavenza nods excitedly, glad to change the topic, "Margaret is the oldest, and she's rather strict, too. But she does her best to look out for us. Elizabeth is my other older sister, and she is… eccentric. The black sheep of the family. I do not see her quite as often, but when she visits she never fails to entertain. Theo is my brother - he's very kind!" She smiles fondly, "My sisters like to tease him… but he'll always stand up for me."

Akira gently pats her on the shoulder, "I'd like to meet them some day."

"There's no need to _ patronise _ me, Trickster," Lavenza snaps back, then softening, "But… while it is somewhat unusual for attendants to meet other Wild Cards, it is not out of the question."

Shiho feels wildly out of depth, which happens more often than she'd like when talk of Thieving and Metaverses comes up. "So, what do you guys want to see?" Shiho asks, eyes glancing from sign to sign. Yasogami is a lot more enthusiastic about their cultural fairs than Shujin, to be sure.

Lavenza ponders the question for a moment, delicately resting her chin on one gloved hand. Shiho figured her attire would attract wayward stares, but nobody even bats an eye as they pass._ (Maybe they think she's a student?) _

"My sister recommended several events in particular. I would like to see a haunted house and a café… and perhaps a clock tower!"

"A… clock tower?" Shiho echoes. _ What sort of cultural festival... _

"I don't think we have that." Akira states.

"A shame. We shall just have to start with something else, then." Lavenza grabs Akira's arm and begins pulling him down the hall. Despite Lavenza's size and stature, she has absolutely no trouble dragging him. Akira does nothing to resist his fate.

Shiho follows after them, eyeing each sign as she passes by - it's all standard cultural festival stuff, really, food stands, a tea ceremony, carnival games, themed cafes, _ (wait, what's a group date cafe?) - _before coming to an abrupt halt as Akira and Lavenza stop dead in their tracks.

"Oh. My god."

Shiho looks over at Akira, then up to the banner adorned on the decorated classroom.

A red and black striped banner, proudly labeled with a hand-painted Phantom Thieves' logo, and in a heartfelt mimicry of the famous calling-card type, "2-2's CAFÉ PHANTOM."

"We _ have _to go. I absolutely need to see this." Akira looks at Shiho, with more joy and anticipation in his eyes that Shiho had equaled when the Thieves had surprised Akira on his birthday with a visit.

"So the Phantom Thieves are still popular, all the way out here?" Lavenza states.

Shiho, still dumbfounded at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, nods, reaching into her back pocket for her phone. _ Ann's gonna want to see this. _

The classroom has been completely transformed, like a calling card come to life. Red and black fills Shiho's vision. There are blank wanted posters and shoddily-printed cards adorning the wall. The tables are draped with Phantom Thief flags for tablecloths.

"Welcome to the Café Phantom, where we'll steal your appetites." A bored looking second year leans against a cashier table, dressed in all black and wearing a black-and-white paper mask. Shiho's only seen pictures from Shido's calling card and some of Kitagawa's sketches, but it's unmistakably Akira's mask. As Shiho looks around, she realizes that _ all _ of the servers are wearing the _ exact same mask. _

"Hi, can we get a table for three?" Shiho asks. Akira looks like if he even attempts to speak a word, he'll burst out laughing, and Shiho does not even want to _ attempt _to explain that to the poor second years.

"Yeah, uh, you can sit there." He gestures to an empty table (the cafe is surprisingly halfway full, so the unusual theme must be working to some extent.)

As the trio takes their seat, Shiho flips open the menu. The menu is surprisingly lacking in phantom or thief related puns, which Akira almost seems upset about. It is, however, mostly crepes, so that's another point to brag about Ann later. Lavenza is looking around with a calculating eye, first at the decorations then down to the menu.

"This looks nothing like Mementos," she declares, after her moment of analysis. Akira gives a gleeful shrug, grinning with catlike ecstasy. Morgana meows _ something _ , Shiho's sure, and Lavenza nods in understanding. Shiho vaguely recalls the Thieves saying something about 'Mementos' in their Phantom Thief crash course, another _ world _formed by… the subconscious of the people? The collective unconscious?

"Yes, I suppose I should not expect much else." Lavenza responds to Morgana.

It's all standard cultural festival food, so Shiho closes the "menu" (a folded sheet of computer paper) and rests her chin on one hand. 

"Why are they all wearing your mask? You guys all had different costumes, right?" She drops her volume, unsure of how legal their conversation was.

Morgana meows something else, which Akira nods to. "Yeah, but mine was the only one that was clearly displayed in Shido's calling card."

Shiho looks over at Lavenza, who's sitting patiently with her hands folded across her lap.

"But… why do the Phantom Thieves have masks in the first place? Or the costumes?"

"A Persona manifests in many ways, and for the thieves part of that display was their vision of 'rebellion.'" Lavenza calmly explains. 

"So Akira's idea of rebellion is a stage magician?" Shiho raises an eyebrow and thinks back to the video Ann had shown her.

"A _ gentleman thief _!" Akira shoots back in mock-outrage.

"Sure thing, 1412."

"Welcome to Café Phantom, where we'll steal your appetites!" A cheery second-year bounces up to their table, clasping a red and black painted clipboard with some loose leaf paper clipped on.

Akira looks five seconds away from dashing to the nearest shrine and thanking whatever gods may be, a truly terrifying grin threatening to break through.

"I'm Yuzuki Aiba, your server for today! Can I take your orders?"

"I will take the blueberry and cream crepe, thank you." Lavenza says, folding the menu with the precision of an executioner during the French revolution.

Aiba blinks, like they're seeing Lavenza for the first time (and maybe they are? Shiho doesn't really understand how this all works.) "Oh! Um, okay! And the rest of you?"

"I'll have the lemon crepe," Shiho smiles.

Akira flips through the menu, clearly not having actually looked at the menu beyond scrying for thief puns, "I'll take the -" he squints in confusion, "Curry potatoes, lettuce, and tuna… what?"

Aiba beams at his "choice", "Oh! That's my recipe! I'm calling it the Phantom Thief of Tastebuds!'"

Shiho and Morgana share _ a look. _

"It's based on the Phantom Thieves' leader! Exciting! Bold! _ Fearless! _" Aiba's expression turns glum, "I wanted to have all the recipes themed, but we didn't have enough time…" 

Akira nods in solemn understanding, "I admire your dedication. I'm a huge fan."

"You are?!" Aiba's eyes sparkle in excitement, "Me too! I heard about them from my friend in Tokyo even before they started going national, back during that Madarame case! Ugh, I was _ so _ upset when they disbanded, but I always knew they were innocent. Y'know, Tachibana _ still _ thinks they were behind that CEO guy's death, but I never believed it for a second! And what does she know, anyway? She's a total bandwagoner - the second that detective guy got unpopular, she totally jumped ship to the Thieves!"

Lavenza clears her throat, "If you do not mind."

"Oh! Um, sorry," they press the clipboard closer to their chest, "I guess I got carried away. I'll be back with your stuff - and I like your costume!" They point to Lavenza as she walks to the "backroom."

As Aiba leaves, Lavenza looks down at her dress, "...I am not wearing a costume."

The crepes arrive, and Shiho is surprisingly pleased with her own crepe (though, really, lemon and sugar is a hard flavor to mess up). 

"Do you like it, Lavenza?" Shiho wonders if supernatural attendants for the Metaverse need to eat, or if Lavenza's ever eaten at all, but that's probably not a polite question to ask. Lavenza's mouth is stuffed with crepe, her plate already half empty in one go. She nods, daintily and dabs the corner of her mouth with a paper napkin.

"...It is better than expected."

Akira, on the other hand, takes a single bite of his own crepe, and Shiho can pinpoint the exact second the life drains from his eyes.

"How is it?" Shiho asks. She already knows the answer.

He slides the paper plate to Shiho, who, against all better judgement, takes a bite.

The flavor is…

_ It's... _

Shiho slides the crepe back.

"If it's inspired by you, they definitely nailed it."

"What's that supposed to mean."

* * *

**ANN**

OMG IS THAT REAL

AND THEYRE WEARING MASKS TOO

wait

whys it all akiras??

**SHIHO**

akira says it's probably because he was the only one to actually show his outfit

**ANN**

WTF im gonna bully him once you two come back

**SHIHO**

you'd bully him anyway

**ANN**

yeah but ill do it extra

* * *

The four leave the cafe with two empty plates and one surreptitiously chucked the garbage. Akira tucks his hands into his pockets, giving an amused glance back as they make their way to the next spot.

"I'm surprised we're still popular enough to get a cafe, out here especially."

"You guys _ did _ have some pretty high-profile targets."

"Suzui-senpai!" A familiar voice breaks through the crowd, and Shiho turns around to find herself face-to-face with Nanako Dojima.

"Hi, Nanako!"

When Shiho had transferred the year prior, Nanako had heard, _ somehow_, that Shiho was on a sports team in her previous school, and practically begged Shiho to help manage the struggling team. While Shiho couldn't bring herself to play any sports, let alone touch a volleyball, she found that she couldn't say no.

Nanako glances to Akira, a vague recognition forming on her face in the same way a lot of Yasogami students have of him.

"Akira, Lavenza, this is Nanako Dojima! She's on the tennis team, and she's pretty good." Shiho gestures the pair to the younger girl.

Akira nods and adjusts his glasses, while Lavenza gives a short bow. Nanako blinks at Lavenza, but to Shiho's surprise, continues on, "Nice to meet you! Lavenza, was it?"

Lavenza nods, looking up at Akira like she wasn't sure what to say next.

"So… Nanako, you're a first year here?" Akira asks stiffly.

"Yup! I'm in 1-2."

"Cool."

I the Phantom Thieves were lying about Joker's negotiation skills, Shiho wouldn't be surprised. Between Lavenza's thousand yard stare, Akira's defensive stance, and the general lack of any charisma, the group is left sinking in conversational quicksand.

Akira coughs into his sleeve.

"What's your class doing, Nanako?" Shiho attempts to resuscitate the situation. Nanako, the absolute angel she is, responds with all the enthusiasm she could ask for.

"Oh, a music performance, but it's not for a while. I'm doing vocals!" 

"Sounds pretty exciting," Shiho smiles. Nanako's vibrancy never fails to cheer her up, so it's unsurprising she'd be suited for a role on the stage.

"Mhm! My big brother is coming, too!"

"You have a brother?"

Lavenza has a strange expression on her face, like she's on the brink of realizing something.

"Yup!" Nanako beams. "He's been busy with college, but he's visiting for the weekend!"

"That's great!"

"I'm gonna get something to eat, but it was nice talking with you, Suzui-senpai! I hope you have fun!" Nanako waves. Even in a brief conversation, Shiho can feel the pure radiant energy Nanako gives off replenishing Shiho's soul.

"That girl…" Lavenza mutters as Nanako disappears into the crowds, "she holds the power of the Justice Arcana."

"I _ thought _ I felt something… should I be worried?" Akira shares the same concerning expression.

"She does not have a Persona, if that is what you are asking. I believe she has created a bond with one such as yourself, Trickster."

"There are other Wild Cards?"

"Who do you think my siblings attend to?"

Shiho's head is spinning from the weird slang the two are tossing around. "What do you mean, 'Justice Arcana?'"

Akira rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "It's sort of hard to explain… but…"

"Those who form close bonds with a Wild Card, such as him, on their journey may hold affinity to certain Arcana," Lavenza explained, "The Arcana is the strength of their bonds made manifest, leading to freedom and new power."

"Uh…" Shiho nods, like that made any sense, "And Nanako has one?"

"Yeah, I think so. It felt a little different than mine, though. Should I be worried?" Akira looks down at Lavenza, who shakes her head.

"Why?" Shiho asks.

"The other Justice Arcana I knew..." Akira trails off, lost in thought. He pushes up his glasses to compose himself, "...Nevermind. It's probably nothing."

Akira points at a classroom in a poor attempt to divert the conversation, "Hey, wanna see this one?"

Outside of 1-1's door is a clumsily written sign advertising a craft sale. The classroom is draped with pastels and handmade posters, with each student taking up a decorated desk or two filled with various art projects. Shiho feels a tap at her leg, and nearly jumps as Lavenza points to a table. Shiho follows her hand to a desk carefully sorted with dozens of crocheted dolls.

"Hey, those aren't bad." Akira says.

The trio navigate the precarious aisles of work to the booth owner, a shy looking first year fiddling with his hands.

"These are so cute!" Shiho holds up a black and white, hand-knitted cat doll, "He looks just like Mona!"

Morgana meows in protest. "He says that no toy will ever be able to capture his beauty," Akira translates, but he's holding up his phone to take a comparison picture.

Morgana meows again.

"You must be tired," Akira angles his phone to get a better comparison shot. "I _ absolutely _ am sending this to Ann, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

If Shiho thought cats couldn't look annoyed, she had definitely been proven wrong. The resemblance _ is _ striking, though. The boy sitting behind the counter seems intimidated, either by the pair of rowdy students and the weird girl, or by the attention of his crafts.

"Did you make these?" Akira points to the dolls.

"Um - yeah, I - I've been learning, and… I thought they might be a good fit for the theme."

Shiho has to admit, they're pretty good. All of the stitching is even and carefully crafted, and from the embarrassment on the student's face, it's clear he put a lot of time into it. Akira's giving an appraising stare to each doll, eyebrows raised in appreciation, but the first year is giving Akira a nervous glance that makes Shiho's stomach turn.

"Um… are you Akira Kurusu, by any chance?" The boy asks, crouching in on himself so hard Shiho's afraid he'll roll into a ball and out the door.

"...Yeah, that's me," Akira responds calmly, but his hands have pulled back into his pockets, shoulders squared to minimize space.

"I - I heard you got on probation or something last year," the boy mumbles. He won't look either of them in the eye, and Shiho _ almost _ feels bad about the way he squirms.

"Akira was cleared of all charges," Shiho's tone is icy. It's the most polite she can muster.

"I -" the boy's face flushes in embarrassment, "I'm sorry - I didn't mean it like that or anything! I - I didn't know that, um…" he diverts his eyes away from Akira's flashing glasses, "I probably shouldn't have assumed - I mean, Tatsumi-san is pretty scary looking, but he's a really good guy at heart, so I - I didn't mean anything by it… sorry… I was just curious, and it came out wrong."

"Tatsumi...san?" Akira asks.

"Tatsumi-san runs the textiles shop near the shrine… he taught me how to make all these."

Akira gives a small smile. His posture is still squared away, but the expression seems to soothe the first-year's nerves enough to return the gesture. "Oh, yeah, I think I've seen him around. These are pretty good, you know." He points at the dolls. "How much for three?"

The first year brightens at Akira's praise, "You mean it? I wasn't sure if anyone would like them, so that's - that's nice of you to say, Kurusu-senpai." He smiles, before his eyes break into a panic, "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Takumi Nishimaki. I'm a first year, but, um, you probably knew that part already..." 

"Shiho Suzui. I'm in Akira's class," Shiho says, "And this is Lavenza."

Lavenza gives an approving nod, "These are well made. I sense the guidance of an Emperor in these crafts; you should be proud."

Mystified at Lavenza's sudden appearance and absolutely bizarre comment, Nishimaki gives a slow, blinking nod.

"Again, I'm really sorry, Kurusu-senpai… can I give you a… a discount, or something?"

"Don't worry about it," Akira waves it off. There's still that heaviness to his shoulders that wasn't there a minute ago, but at least some of the tension is gone.

"Do you want one, Lavenza?" Shiho asks.

"I don't need a _ toy_," Lavenza huffs, casting an intense glare to the handmade Jack Frost doll.

"Okay, we'll take the Jack Frost, this cat, and the bear," Shiho says, pointing to each one as she says it. Shiho had only noticed the bear a second ago, but it's going in the court record as _solid evidence_ of the Junes cryptid. Mini-Mona and Junes bear are stashed in Akira and Shiho's respective bags, while Lavenza squeezes the Jack Frost with subdued joy.

"Thanks for the support, senpai," Nishimaki rubs the back of his neck, "...Um… you don't have to answer this, but I am curious what were you arrested _ for. _I - I know it was cleared, but, y'know, there were just a bunch of rumors..."

Akira breaks into a smirk, "Oh, organized crime. Stole from art museums, historical landmarks, banks, you name it."

Morgana and Shiho gape at Akira while Lavenza gives a blithe stare, but Nishimaki just laughs.

"You're pretty funny, Kurusu-senpai!" He smiles, "I guess it doesn't really matter if it's not true - sorry again for all the trouble."

Once out of earshot, Shiho whispers, "Do you really just go around saying that?"

"You know, when I tell people that I'm a phantom thief they're actually _ way _ less likely believe me," Akira shrugs with an easy sort of confidence.

"The mind is easily deceived," Lavenza states. Her gravity is only _ slightly _ diminished by the plush toy in her arms, "Hiding in plain sight conceals the senses, and very few can open their eyes to the truth."

Akira rubs his neck, "Yeah, that."

"Ah! Trickster!" Lavenza grabs Akira's arm with a vice grip, "A Haunted House!" Shiho follows Lavenza's pointed hand to, unsurprisingly, a haunted house.

The sign is, fittingly, written in dripping red paint. It's _ the _ picturesque cultural festival haunted house, and Lavenza's eyes are wide with excitement. The sight brings a smile to Shiho's face.

"You like haunted houses, Shiho?" Akira asks.

"I mean, sort of. I used to go with Ann a bunch, but I only agreed cause she'd get scared and hold my hand."

He nods in profound understanding, "I should try that."

There's a third year stationed outside the door that Shiho _ sort of _recognizes. (What was his name? Fujiwara? Fuzukawa? Shiho's seen him around, but they never talked.)

"Oh, Suzui-san! And…" His face curls into a strange expression at Akira's presence, but he doesn't say anything more, "Are you guys here for the haunted house?"

Akira doesn't say a word, just nods and continues forward as Morgana pokes his head out. Lavenza excitedly accompanies him, Shiho trailing after the both of them.

The door shuts behind them with a decisive swing, leaving them in pitch black darkness. Speaker-grade groans and shuffling feet echo around the room.

A dim red light glows in the corner, and Shiho can see a human-shaped figure slowly shamble towards them.

_ "Who dares… disturb my slumber…" _ The figure sounds like a rasping teenager imitating their favorite horror movie, which is _ probably _exactly what it is.

Another red light flickers on behind them, 

"This is not as frightening as I'd hoped…" Lavenza mutters, "all of these foes are just humans in costume…"

"Well, that's how things tend to go around -" Akira's interrupted by a massive, looming, _ definitely not human figure rushing behind them. _ Shiho spins around just in time to see a _ coffin _ swinging from the ceiling, swinging open with a crackling burst of red -

"_Megidolao_ -!" Lavenza shrieks. A blinding spark begins to form in Lavenza's hands. Akira's eyes widen and in a stunning display of acrobatics and total disregard for the laws of physics, backflips across the room to land a direct hit into the coffin.

Akira's acrobatics display sends an echoing _ CRACK! _through the room, and Shiho leaps forward to protect Lavenza from the debris.

As the dust settles, Shiho looks up. All four of them are collapsed onto the ground. Akira's splayed, face-first, on a pile of fake spiders and cobwebs, Morgana meowing loudly as he crawls out of Akira's bag.

"What the hell?!"

Fuzukawa flings open the door, staring at the wrecked room in total shock. He looks from the fallen decorations, to Shiho and Lavenza, to the quivering zombie actors from the room next door, then, finally, to Akira.

"...How…?" Fuzukawa whispers, attempting to piece together the picture laid in front of him.

"I got startled." Akira picks a plastic spider off his jacket.

Shiho pulls herself off the ground, "And _ backflipped into a coffin?" _

"Emotional support backflip."

The coffin, now reduced to cardboard wreckage, holds a single plastic skeleton with threateningly red christmas lights strung across its chest. A bluetooth speaker taped to the corner of the coffin lets out a glitched death rattle before giving up entirely.

"Are we gonna get in trouble?" Shiho eyes the rubble, "Also, we are _ very _ sorry."

"It's..." Fuzukawa sighs, "...fine."

Something in Fuzukawa's voice tells Shiho that it is, in fact, not fine. Thankfully, nobody seems to be hurt (except maybe the poor artists' pride.) The students refuse all of their offers to help clean up, probably out of fear they'll break something else. The four shamefully shuffle out the door, ignoring all of the strange stares and confused exclamations as they exit.

"Ryuji doesn't let me go into haunted houses anymore," Akira admits, as the four push onward.

"How many haunted houses have you wrecked, Akira."

"This is my first, but I _ did _ try and unmask the actors."

"What?"

"It's a habit. But, anyway!" Akira deflects and turns to Lavenza, "Did you just try to cast _ Megidolaon_?"

"It's - I was… simply following my best judgement at the time! It's as my sister always says, you know! If you can't push it, pull it. And if you can't pull it, _ Megidolaon_!" Lavenza says with all the urgent severity of a disciple bestowing a grand commandment upon the masses. (Her face is completely red with embarrassment.)

"That's…" Akira seems at a loss for words, "Yeah, okay."

"You can't really judge, Akira. You just backflipped a plastic skeleton and ruined our classmates' hard work."

"I literally just saved the hallway from being blown up, and this is how you treat me."

With the destruction of a haunted house and their names _ probably _on 3-1's permanent shitlist, the four settle for buying some yakitori and finding a free bench at the performance "venue."

Around them, students and teachers alike scramble to set up for 1-2's performance: testing lights, trying sound systems, setting up folding chairs. Morgana's finished off half of Akira's before he can even try a taste, and Lavenza looks like it's taking every ounce of her willpower not to eat the entire thing in a single bite. The sky is clear, and the air is filled with snippets and fragments of cheerful conversation.

It's… nice.

It's Shiho's first school festival since transferring, and…

She can remember her first school festival at Shujin. By then Ryuji's hair was already bleached blond, and he and Ann weren't _ talking _ anymore, and Shiho was already - already on the volleyball team, but somehow, she and Ann were still excited by the prospect of _ their very first high school festival! _They'd gorged themselves on chocolate bananas and microwaved takoyaki, laughing at the exhibits and admiring the displays.

(But halfway through, Ann had been pulled away to accompany _ him _ around, _ or else, _the threat goes unspooen. And Shiho hadn't said a thing, shrinking away as Ann gave a watery smile, dipped her head in shame, and...)

(It had… it was…)

"Hey, are you gonna finish that?" Shiho's snapped back to reality by Akira pointing at her yakitori. She shakes her head and hands it over.

Akira ungracefully bites off a piece, "You seem down."

"I was just thinking."

Akira's quiet for a moment, "...I miss them too."

"...Yeah."

They sit there, in silence, Akira slowly finishing off his food as they watch Lavenza kick her feet back in forth as she pets an pleased-but-not-willing-to-show-it Morgana.

Akira pulls two cans of TaP sodas from his bag and pops one open, offering the other to Shiho. She accepts. The soda's gone warm, so Shiho doesn't really want to know how long it's been in Akira's bag, but she hadn't noticed until now how thirsty she was.

"To city blonds." He toasts.

"To city blonds," Shiho smiles, giving a gentle tap with her lukewarm drink.

Yeah, it's nice.

"Trickster! Get me another one of these foods."

"They're all out." Akira lies. "All the food stands burned down, so I have to sit here forever now."

Lavenza narrows her eyes, "If you continue lying to me like this, Trickster, perhaps I will _ reconsider _ our permanent Yasoinaba Velvet Room entrance."

Akira raises his head, "You're opening up a new location?"

"We are preparation for our next location," Lavenza proudly places her hands on her hips, "This town already has the necessary construction for a permanent door, and we will not be using the Tokyo entrance in the near future."

"Wait, if you didn't open a door here, how did you even get here?"

"A _ temporary _ door."

Akira stares, then shakes his head, grumbling, "I wish I could teleport... Fine, I'll get another yakitori."

Morgana springs after Akira, meowing. "_ And _ something for you, Mona." Akira traipses back to the food stalls, leaving Shiho and Lavenza by themselves.

"So... you can open up these doors wherever?" Shiho tries to imagine it - a magic room (it's all blue, according to Akira's testimony), inhabited solely by supernatural beings, "I'll have to come see it sometime."

Lavenza fiddles with the empty yakitori skewer, "Unfortunately, only those bound by contract may enter the Velvet Room. But... perhaps if I visit more often, I will be able to see you again, Suzui-san."

Shiho admits, she's a _ little _ disappointed she can't see this anticipated Velvet Room place. Even after just a day, she's gotten attached to Lavenza. In a weird way, she almost reminds her of Nanako and the rest of the tennis team.

Except magic.

"I do wish that you had… we were…" Lavenza trails off, searching for words, "...I'll admit, Suzui-san. I was hesitant in meeting you before today. Us attendants do not often interact with humans aside from our guests."

She neatly places the empty skewer on the bench, pulling her hands apart in front of her chest.

"However… I was also curious to see what sort of person you were. What sort of strength you carried."

Before Shiho's eyes, a flash of light and the fluttering of wings clear to form a hefty, blue-leather bound book in Lavenza's hands. The girl flips through the book, settling upon a page of beautifully illustrated cards. She plucks one from the page, like magic (it _ is _magic!) and holds the glowing, spinning card in the palm of her hand. 

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed…"

_ L'ADAPTATION _

_ VIII _

A black silhouette standing in the center of the card, holding a sword with both hands on a precariously balanced set of scales amongst a red background. It holds her world with the tip of a blade, precarious yet assured.

"Adjustment is a symbol of balance. Of wisdom and action, of honesty and objectivity. Of growth and reflection."

Shiho can't tear her eyes away.

"Your sorrow, your struggle… you've come a long way, Suzui-san. This is not often shown to those who are not contracted with the Velvet Room, but…" Lavenza gestures for Shiho to pick up the card, and Shiho complies with slight hesitation. She's afraid, stupidly, irrationally, if she touches that magic, it all, _ this _ all, will be _ gone. _

"I have enjoyed our time together thus far, so you may keep it."

Shiho gapes, finally pulling her eyes from the card, "What?! This... seems important."

Lavenza smiles softly, "It will be quite a while before the Arcana shifts again, and yours is quite rare. I see no reason my master wouldn't allow it. And…" Lavenza's cheeks redden, She closes the book, which vanishes in yet another flicker of wings (butterflies, Shiho realizes.)

Lavenza squeezes the Jack Frost tight to her chest, "Consider it a token of my gratitude." 

Shiho nods. For some reason, her throat feels tight, and she can't get any words out.

"Okay, I'm back," Akira announces. He's dual wielding dango and yakitori skewers in each hand, and Mona's precariously curled on one of his shoulders.

Lavenza marches to Akira and pulls the yakitori from his fingers, "Thank you, Trickster. I shall be taking my leave now."

Akira's shoulders droop infinitesimally, "You're not staying?"

Lavenza shakes her head. "No, my older sister may be upset if I interfere with her guest. I sense his presence approaching, so it is best for me to depart soon."

"...Oh?"

"I shall be back soon, though." Lavenza states firmly, "Once renovations are complete, _ I _ shall get to select our next location. The Shopping District, most likely... or perhaps outside that big department store!"

"And I can just come whenever?" Akira asks.

"Though this journey may be over, Trickster, I will repeat myself: you are always welcome to return to the Velvet Room. Hopefully… we shall make up for our prior substandard service."

"Just don't go kicking me into these doors, okay?" Akira responds.

Lavenza flushes, "I'll _ consider _ it," She looks to Shiho, "I am glad I was able to meet you, Suzui-san. I hope you will continue without faltering."

Akira ruffles Lavenza's hair, which rewards him with a smack on the arm. The girl turns around, white hair fluttering behind her, and is off.

"You have weird friends, Akira."

"Yeah, I know this one _ super _ weird girl, she really likes bullying me, her name is Shiho Su -"

Shiho playfully nudges Akira, grinning. She can feel the weight of the card in her back pocket. The heaviness of its balance is… comforting, somehow, softly burning warm and slow.

_ Adjustment. _

"C'mon, weirdo. Let's go watch the performance."

It's nice.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been a specter upon my mind for nearly two weeks now and it would not free me from its vice-like grip until I wrote the damn thing.  
I put more planning into this fic than I'd like to admit, so you can view all of my weird obscure notes and references [on my tumblr](https://gekkoukans.tumblr.com/post/188929792387/notes-on-adjustment).  
Please leave a comment if you enjoyed! It means a lot.
> 
> Feel free to talk to me on tumblr or [twitter](https://twitter.com/arisqto)!


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